Day 5. 10/6/24. Jefferson City to Hermann MO
Stats: 46 mi. AIS: 4:32min. 10.2 mph. Elev. 252 ft
Jim was the volunteer SAG today. He did a superb job… meeting us at the 25 mi rest stop in Mokane for lunch. He met us again at Portland at mile 35…just in case. Then he headed to Hermann to check into our AirBnB. When we arrived he had unloaded the trailer of the baggage and coolers and carried everything up to our 2nd story accommodation! Gold ⭐️!!
Leaving Jefferson City this morning we took a closeup look at the Governor’s Mansion and the Capitol building. The Capitol overlooks the Missouri River. Beautiful setting.
We retraced our route yesterday back to the Katy Trail.
Back on the trail…. the first 15 miles were predominantly farm land and a country road parallel to the trail. The trail was not busy at all this morning. Sunday mornings are usually pretty quiet.
We met Jim for lunch and had a really nice visit with a woman (Laura) that was solo bike packing for a 2 day ride to St Charles (her home). She was really friendly and we shared our lunch with her and visited for awhile. With some luck we will meet up with her in St Charles for a beer.
After lunch we got back into the bluffs and the river was close by on our right side. The leaves are quickly changing colors and it was a really pleasant easy roll for the next 10 miles. Bluffs and river on each side make a nice trail.
We had a quick stop in Portland and then 15 miles to Hermann. There was a little bar up the block. I popped in for a water bottle refill. So tasty to have ice cold water bottle for the next few miles.
The last 15 miles ran along the bluffs for about 5 miles then opened into the farm fields for the final 10. It was warm but not as hot as yesterday and we had a slight tailwind so it was comfortable riding.
Things I saw…
The final approach to Hermann…
The last 2 miles into Hermann were off trail. It started with a very short, slightly uphill dirt section to get on the highway into town. The dirt had a few sections that were soft sand. Sarah has a heavy e-bike that she is not comfortable starting to ride on a hill. This little spot with the soft sand grabbed her front wheel and turned sideways. Down she went! Paul was close behind her so he helped her get up. Not seriously hurt but might feel the fall tomorrow. Hope not too much!
Sarah has had a rough couple of days. She seems to be allergic to all the limestone dust or farm harvest dust along the trail. Her sinuses are full and she’s pretty uncomfortable. We stored the dusty bikes in our rooms last night and it made her even worse. She didn’t sleep well so it was a long day. Jim (the ⭐️ shuttle driver stopped at a Casey’s convenience store and got her an antihistamine nasal spray.) She’s looking forward to a good nights sleep with some Benadryl.
We had 2 miles to Hermann and we had to cross the Missouri one more time to get into town. Google maps took me off the highway down a somewhat steep gravel road and then a sharp left onto a paved road back up to a pedestrian path over the bridge. It was not a simple road down to the path. Katy rode Jim’s bike today because the mountain bike she’s using doesn’t really fit her too well and Jim’s is the right size and faster but…. She borrowed his slightly too large cycling shoes and the cleats in the pedals were too tight for her. She was struggling a bit all day to clip in and clip out. Well…the bottom of the hill with the quick zorro turn left got her. She was stopped but couldn’t get one foot out and tipped over. She ended up hitting the back of her head. It hurt pretty bad, so she walked the last half mile over the bridge and to our house.
Two wrecks in the last 15 minutes of a long day! After 45+ miles it was a rough, tough finish. I hope they both feel better tomorrow! Everyone’s glad it’s a day off.
We’re actually upstairs.
The whole group rallied for a German dinner tonight. Hermann is famous for its German food and we found a delicious restaurant. We had sausages, red cabbage, sauerkraut, frikkedeller (meatballs), potato pancakes and schnitzel. Everything was good!
and plum butter
darn it
Hermann is a really cute town with lots of old buildings. We are looking forward to exploring it tomorrow. As usual on a layover day we have laundry and bike maintenance to take care of too. Should be fun and rest worthy day tomorrow.
cinnicrew 